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In “The Cask of Amontillado,” what are five quotations that prove that Montresor wanted revenge against Fortunato?

Here is the answer and explanation to the question In “The Cask of Amontillado,” what are five quotations that prove that Montresor wanted revenge against Fortunato?

In “The Cask of Amontillado,” what are five quotations that prove that Montresor wanted revenge against Fortunato?

In the “The Cask of Amontillado,” five different quotations illustrate Montresor’s desire for revenge against Fortunato. The first quotation, in which Montresor makes his intentions clear, reveals that he has had a thousand injuries inflicted upon him by Fortunato and vows to exact revenge. He elaborates on his idea of the perfect revenge by saying that he will not only punish Fortunato but do so without any fear of repercussions. After leading Fortunato to his palazzo, Montresor grows impatient with his friend and decides to murder him. He impairs Fortunato’s judgment by offering him more wine and then begins building a wall around him so that he can bury Fortunato alive.

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In the opening sentence of Poe’s classic short story, Montresor makes his intentions perfectly clear by commenting,

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. (Poe, 1)

Montresor goes on to reveal his determination to get revenge on Fortunato for his ambiguous “thousand injuries” and elaborates on his idea of the perfect revenge by saying,

At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled—but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity. (Poe, 1)

After carefully planning his revenge, Montresor meets Fortunato during the carnival season and leads him to his empty palazzo. Once they are in the depths of Montresor’s catacombs, Fortunato begins coughing and Montresor suggests that they return. When Fortunato replies by saying that he will not die of a cough, Montresor once again reveals his desire for revenge and evil intentions by commenting,

True—true . . . and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming you unnecessarily—but you should use all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps. (Poe, 2)

Montresor’s comments imply that he will eventually murder Fortunato and also depict how he cleverly impairs Fortunato’s judgment by offering him more wine. Shortly after drinking the wine, Fortunato inquires about Montresor’s family arms and motto. Montresor reveals that revenge is a significant element of his ancestry by telling Fortunato that his family motto is, “Nemo me impune lacessit” (Poe, 2). Montresor’s family motto means “No one provokes me with impunity,” which further emphasizes Montresor’s inherent desire for revenge.

Once Fortunato reaches the end of the vaults, Montresor suddenly shackles him to the back wall and begins building a wall around him. Montresor describes his actions by saying,

Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar. With these materials and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche. (Poe, 3)

By vigorously walling up the entrance of the niche, Montresor reveals that he plans on burying his enemy alive, which will finally satisfy his desire for revenge.



| Certified Educator

There is, of course, the very first line of the whole story, which says, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” We do not get to know the specific nature of the insult, but it is clear that Montresor found the insult to be bad enough to warrant murdering Fortunato.

There is also: “At length, I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled…”

“I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.”

“I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.” As is necessary for plans of vengeance, the person who is planning their revenge would not want to let their target grow suspicious of their intentions.

“I had told him that I should not return until the morning…” This is followed by Montresor explaining that he had ordered them to remain at his home for the night, knowing full well that they would do no such thing, that they would leave as soon as he was gone. So he returned to his home with Fortunato, knowing that no one would be there, which was perfect for his plans.

Finally, there is the start of the actual act of imprisoning Fortunato: “A moment more and I had fettered him to the granite.” This begins the end of the story, when Montresor walls Fortunato into the recess in the wall in his family catacombs, which is the ultimate act of revenge.

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